ENABLE NEWSLETTER
The Enable Newsletter is prepared by the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD) at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, as well as from civil society. It is also available online at: http://www.un.org/disabilities.
In this issue:
STATUS OF THE CONVENTION (CRPD)
HIGHLIGHTS
– UNDPI NGO briefing on reframing disability
– New web resource page on Disability and HIV/AIDS at Enable
– Launch of the first World Disability Report on 9 June at UN Headquarters
– 5th session of the CRPD Committee to commence on 11 April
– OHCHR Interactive panel on disability and international cooperation
– Human Rights Council resolution on international cooperation and disability
– GPDD Development Partners Forum and membership meeting
– NORAD Seminar on disability mainstreaming in development cooperation
– UNESCAP Improving disability measurement and statistics
UPCOMING EVENTS
8 April: General Assembly Civil Society Hearing on HIV/AIDS
11 to 15 April: 5th session of Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
18 to 19 April: Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities
18 to 21 April: First session, Open-ended Working Group on strengthening
the protection of the human rights of older persons
8 to 10 June: High-level meeting on HIV/AIDS
9 June: Launch of World Disability Report 2011 at UN Headquarters
26 June: 9th Annual Hope and Possibility Race
3 to 8 July: 5th IDP Africa Forum: Access Africa
18 to 20 July: International Conference on Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities
18 to 24 July: XVI World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf
7 to 9 September: Fourth Conference of States Parties to the CRPD
10 September: Child Rights & Sight Conference 2011
19 to 24 September: 6th FATO International Seminar
10 to 13 October: Disabled People’s International 2011 8th World Assembly
29 November – 1 December: 2nd Asia Pacific CBR Congress
OTHER NEWS
– IDA Disability Rights Bulletin
– New website to facilitate disability services and statistics
– New resource to address bullying children with special needs
– Open for admission: community-based rehabilitation courses 2011-2012
– Join the International Disability Rights Movement as a USICD Member
– International Social Security Association on disability
ENABLE NEWSLETTER: March 2011
STATUS OF THE CONVENTION (CRPD)
99 ratifications of the Convention
147 signatories to the Convention
Optional Protocol to the Convention
61 ratifications of the Optional Protocol
90 signatories to the Optional Protocol
Fourth Conference of States Parties to be held at UN Headquarters in New
York from 7-9 September 2011.
HIGHLIGHTS
UNDPI NGO briefing on reframing disability
On 17 March, the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI)
held a briefing entitled “Reframing disability: Towards eliminating ableism
in education and employment across the globe.” The briefing examined
current efforts to eliminate gaps in economic and social development that
marginalize persons with disabilities in the areas of education and
employment. Panelists included Akiko Ito, Chief Secretariat for the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities/DESA; Judith Heuman,
Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department
of State; John Hockenberry, journalist, author, and disability advocate;
and Dr. Thomas Hehir, Professor of Practice at the Graduate School of
Education at Harvard University.
New web resource page on Disability and HIV/AIDS at Enable
A new web page has been launched on the United Nations Enable website that
draws attention to the growing relationship between HIV/AIDS. This emerging
issue is a cause for concern as persons with disabilities are at higher
risk of exposure to HIV and seldom recognized as a group to be included in
national responses to HIV/AIDS. The web resource page also provides links
to policy documents, websites and forthcoming events related to disability
and HIV/AIDS. More information:
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1560.
Launch of the first World Disability Report on 9 June at UN Headquarters
The CRPD has drawn global attention to the situation of persons with
disabilities in their societies and mandates States parties to address
these issues. A new publication, the first ever World Report on Disability,
produced jointly by the World Health Organization and the World Bank,
reviews evidence about the global situation of persons with disabilities,
and offers directions for policy and practice to address exclusion. The
report contains chapters on health; rehabilitation; assistance and support;
enabling environments; education; and employment. Importantly, the report
also includes the first new disability prevalence estimates since the 1970s
and makes the case for better data collection. This pioneering report
demonstrates how removing barriers, investing in rehabilitation and more
accessible environments can enable millions of persons with disabilities to
participate in education, employment and wider society. At the intersection
of human rights, development, public health and disability studies, the
World Report on Disability is an important publication for policy-makers,
professionals, persons with disabilities and their families. More
information: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/en/index.html .
5th session of the CRPD Committee to commence on 11 April
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will hold its
fifth session from 11 – 15 April 2011 in Geneva. The CRPD Committee with
its extended membership of 18 experts will engage in its first dialogue
with the State party Tunisia, as well as adopt a list of issues on Spain’s
State party report. More information:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/Session5.aspx
OHCHR Interactive panel on disability and international cooperation
The Human Rights Council held its third interactive debate on the rights of
persons with disabilities on 4 March 2011 on the theme “The role played by
international cooperation in support of national efforts for the
realization of the purpose and objectives of the CRPD”. The Panel was
opened by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay.
Panelists were Shuaib Chalklen, Special Rapporteur on Disability of the
Commission on Social Development, Monthien Buntan, Senator of Thailand,
Theresia Degener, representative of the Committee on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, María-Veronica Reina, Executive Director of the Global
Partnership for Disability and Development, and Nathalie Herlemont, Head of
the Strategic Policy Service at Handicap International. Panelists shared
best practices in the field and discussed mainstreaming disability rights
in development, the diversity of disability in international cooperation,
the alignment of international cooperation with standards set out in the
CRPD and disability rights in humanitarian action More information:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disability/Pages/DebateMarch2011.aspx .
Human Rights Council resolution on international cooperation and disability
In response to the above panel, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a
resolution on the role of international cooperation in supporting national
efforts for the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and
called on Member States to consider the findings and recommendations in the
OHCHR thematic study on the issue. The Assembly invited the High
Commissioner to make the study available to the forthcoming High-level
meeting at the 67th session of the General Assembly on strengthening
efforts to ensure accessibility for and inclusion of persons with
disabilities in all aspects of development efforts. The Assembly further
requested OHCHR to prepare its fourth thematic study on the CRPD, this time
on participation in political and public life. OHCHR will contact States,
UN agencies and civil society partners, as well as National Human Rights
Institutions for contributions to the study later in 2011. The study will
be considered by the Human Rights Council in March 2012. More information:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disability/Pages/DisabilityIndex.aspx.
GPDD Development Partners Forum and membership meeting
The Global Partnership for Disability and Development (GPDD) “Development
Partners Forum”, was held in Oslo, Norway (30 March). Disability focal
points from Government donor agencies, the United Nations system,
multilateral donor organizations and private foundations met to discuss
ways to align their strategies with the principles of the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Later this year, from 21-23 September,
GPDD will hold its 3rd Disability and Development Forum and Membership
Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where members and partners will focus
on options for implementing development actions towards the social and
economic inclusion of persons with disabilities, particularly in light of
Article 32 of the CRPD. The meeting will also discuss issues related to
women with disabilities in development, children with disabilities,
disability and disasters, and South-South cooperation. More information:
http://www.gpdd-online.org/
NORAD Seminar on disability mainstreaming in development cooperation
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) in collaboration
with the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability held a seminar to examine the
challenges of mainstreaming disability in both official development
programmes and projects, as well as in civil society projects. The seminar
brought together representatives from both donors and recipient countries,
as well as the UN system, disabled peoples’ organizations (DPOs),
international NGOs and the business sector to identify ways to mainstream
disability in international development cooperation. The seminar lays the
foundation for action to include a disability perspective in development
cooperation. More information: http://www.norad.no/en/About
+Norad/Seminars/Disability+Mainstreaming.
UNESCAP Improving disability measurement and statistics
Based on the outcome of the previous ESCAP/WHO disability project conducted
in 2004-2006, UNESCAP’s Improvement of Disability Measurement and
Statistics in Support of Biwako Millennium Framework and Regional Census
Programme seeks to further promote better disability data collection by
developing standard measurement and improving national technical capacity.
The project takes into account country needs in the region while
contributing to the ongoing global initiatives on disability statistics.
Its focus is on designing standard question sets for surveys and conducting
pilot tests and post-pilot test data analyses, which would provide an
empirical basis for establishing standard survey measurement for disability
data collection. UNESCAP has also recently published a set of guidelines
for the testing of questions on disability:
http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/Disability-question-testing-guidelines.pdf
. To learn more about UNESCAP’s activities on disability statistics, visit
http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/.
UPCOMING EVENTS
(We welcome information from the general public on key international
disability events for inclusion in the list below)
8 April: General Assembly Civil Society Hearing on HIV/AIDS
In preparation for the High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, a one day informal
interactive hearing with civil society will be chaired by the President of
the General Assembly and organized with the active participation of people
living with HIV and broader civil society. The objective of the hearing is
to create a space where civil society, NGOs and the private sector can
interact with Member States and offer input to the comprehensive review
process. A summary of the hearing will be issued as a document of the
General Assembly prior to the High-Level Meeting to be held from 8-10 June
2011. More information:
http://www.unaids.org/en/aboutunaids/unitednationsdeclarationsandgoals/2011highlevelmeetingonaids/civilsocietyand2011highlevelmeetingonaids
.
11 to 15 April: 5th session of Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
(See above for details)
18 to 19 April: Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities
Entitled, “Humanity: Advancing Inclusion, Equality and Diversity”, the
Conference has sixteen topic areas, pre and post conference forums,
including the International Forum on the Rights of People with
Disabilities. The Conference will provide an opportunity for dialogue and
an exchange of best practices, research, methodology, and advocacy
initiatives in disability. More information:
http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/emailtemplate.
18 to 21 April: First session, Open-ended Working Group on strengthening
the protection of the human rights of older persons
The Working Group was established by the General Assembly by resolution
65/182 on 21 December 2010 to consider the existing international framework
of the human rights of older persons and identify possible gaps and how
best to address them, including considering the feasibility of further
instruments and measures. Participation is open to delegations from
non-governmental organizations active in the field of ageing. More
information: http://social.un.org/ageing-working-group.
8 to 10 June: High-level meeting on HIV/AIDS
The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS will be
held at UN Headquarters from 8-10 June 2011. The Assembly will conduct a
comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the Declaration
of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations in Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council, civil society organizations and the
private sector, will also be included in the list of speakers for the
plenary meetings of the High-Level Meeting. More information:
http://www.unaids.org/en/aboutunaids/unitednationsdeclarationsandgoals/2011highlevelmeetingonaids
.
9 June: Launch of World Disability Report 2011 at UN Headquarters
(Please see above for more details)
26 June: 9th Annual Hope and Possibility Race
Organized by Achilles International each year in New York City’s Central
Park, this five-mile race for all athletes and athletes with disabilities,
draws celebrities, volunteers, supporters and spectators to join in a
celebration of the human spirit. More information:
http://www.achillesinternational.org/news/hope-and-possibility
3 to 8 July: 5th IDP Africa Forum: Access Africa
The 5th IDP-Institutional Development Forum will focus on how the power of
technology can advance equality and rights of persons who are blind and
partially sighted. Participants will include representatives of Government
ministries, international organizations, organizations of and for the
blind, universities, as well as parents, persons who are blind and
partially sighted, vendors and sponsors of assistive technology. More
information:
http://www.perkins.org/international-programs/localexpertise/idp.html#Access_Africa_The_5th_IDP_Africa_Forum
.
18 to 20 July: International Conference on Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities
Seri Mengasih Centre is an NGO for children and adults with intellectual
and developmental disabilities in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, that will
be celebrating their 30th anniversary. The Centre along with the Universiti
Malaysia Sabah will organize an International Conference under the theme
“Growing with Hope and Dignity”. More information:
http://serimengasih.org/icidd-2011/.
18 to 24 July: XVI World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf
This first-ever WFD Congress in Africa will be held in Durban, South
Africa. The Congress will bring together activists, professionals and
interest groups to share their experiences, knowledge and expertise to be
used for welfare and improving the human rights of Deaf people in Africa
and around the world. It will also be a time to review achievements through
the implementation of the CRPD. More information:
http://www.wfd2011.com/information/letter.html.
7 to 9 September: Fourth Conference of States Parties to the CRPD
The next Conference of States Parties will be held at UN Headquarters in
New York from 7-9 September 2011. More information will be posted on the
Enable website at http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1535.
September 10: Child Rights & Sight Conference 2011
The 3rd Annual Conference on Child Rights and Sight will be held at Yale
University in New Haven, Connecticut. The Conference is being organized by
Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI) in partnership with the
Yale UNICEF, Rights & Sight for Children (RSC) and Eye Surgery Associates
The goal of the Conference is to raise awareness of children’s rights in
local, national, and international communities; to discuss key issues of
poverty in the 21st century; and to provide a forum for discussing
creative, community-driven methods for alleviating child labor, hunger, and
poverty around the world. More information:
http://www.distressedchildren.org
19 to 24 September: 6th FATO International Seminar
African Federation of Orthopaedic Technologists (FATO) International
Congress to be held in Arusha, Tanzania on September 2011, will be the
first of its kind in English-speaking East Africa. More information:
http://fatoafrique.org/en/ or email: fato@fatoafrique.org.
10 to 13 October: Disabled People’s International 2011 8th World Assembly
DPI’s 8th World Assembly to be held in Durban, South Africa on 10-13
October 2011. The theme of the Assembly is “Disability United Movement in
creating a society for all through the UN Disability Convention and the
Millennium Development Goals.” More information: http://www.dpi2011.co.za/.
29 November to 1 December: 2nd Asia Pacific CBR Congress
The 2nd Asia Pacific Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Congress will be
held in Manila on the role of Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) in CBR,
as well as climate change and disability, corporate business in disability,
harmonizing CRPD with domestic laws, CBR as a strategy in building
communities for everyone, including older persons, accessibility and CBR,
UNESCAP and CBR, the WHO CBR Guidelines and the CRPD. More information:
http://www.ncda.gov.ph.
OTHER NEWS
(The information below is provided by the non-governmental disability
community and other entities for informational purposes only. This does not
constitute endorsement of, or an approval by, the United Nations of any of
the products, services, or opinions of the organization or individual. The
United Nations bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or
content of their statements and opinions.)
IDA Disability Rights Bulletin
This bulletin is intended for experts advocating for the rights of persons
with disabilities, in particular within the Geneva-based human rights
framework. It is prepared by IDA Secretariat, which also provides support
to the Group of States Friends of the CRPD. Since the beginning of 2011 the
International Disability Alliance (IDA) has continued and strengthened its
work in Geneva to mainstream the rights of persons with disabilities in the
UN human rights system. Find out more about the work of IDA through the
Disability Rights Bulletin: http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org.
New website to facilitate disability services and statistics
The Indian Accessible Disability Data (I-ADD) website aims to build an
interactive database, a “bridge” between service providers and persons with
disability in India for planning rehabilitation services in rural and urban
India. The project will help to assess the extent of human resource
development required, allocating funds for rehabilitation programmes such
as CBR, inclusive education, early intervention, skill development and
employment opportunities. This village disability register will also
provide supportive data for a disability census. More information:
http://www.i-add.net/
New resource to address bullying children with special needs
AbilityPath.org, an online community for professionals and parents of
children with special needs interviewed experts, educators and parents
regarding bullying, a silent epidemic facing children with special needs.
The result was the report and guide entitled “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes: A
Report on Bullying and Special Needs”. More information:
http://www.abilitypath.org/areas-of-development/learning–schools/bullying.
Open for admission: community-based rehabilitation courses 2011-2012
Bangalore University Department of Psychology in collaboration with
Directorate of Correspondence Course Distance & Education and CBR Network
(South Asia) invites application for community-based rehabilitation courses
for academic year 2011-2012 offered through distance mode. For more
information on eligibility, application forms, and other details, send an
email to cbrnet@airtelmail.in.
Join the International Disability Rights Movement as a USICD Member
The disability rights movement is expanding around the world. Numerous
countries are growing in their recognition of the rights of persons with
disabilities, and disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) are increasingly
raising their voice to lead their societies toward equality and access.
The U.S. International Council on Disabilities (USICD) works to advance
inclusion of disability among U.S. and international organizations. More
information: http://usicd.org/index.cfm/join-usicd.
International Social Security Association on disability
During the last two decades, disability benefit payments increased
significantly in most of the industrialized countries, although the rate of
this growth has declined over time. This has occurred despite increased
efforts to prevent disabilities and a clear long-term improvement in
physical work conditions, including the decline in the prevalence of manual
work. More information: http://www.issa.int/aiss/Temas/Invalidez#
CONTACT INFORMATION
Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(SCRPD), Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD), Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations.
Mailing address: 2 UN Plaza, DC2-1306, New York, NY 10017, USA.
Website: http://www.un.org/disabilities, Email: enable@un.org.
